Luuka RDC Tasks Police to Rearrest Defilement Suspects

The Luuka Resident District Commissioner, Rosemary Byabasaija has tasked the police to re-arrest suspects charged with defilement.

She made the directive after a section of parents stormed her office on Thursday, accusing the police of releasing defilement suspects, which has led to an increase in sex-related crimes. 

Abasa Waiswa, a resident of Bumanha A village, in Bukanga sub-county, in Luuka District says that his 15-year-old daughter was allegedly defiled by her teacher Michael Bakaki, but the suspect was released on police bond a day later.

"My 15-year-old daughter, who is a senior three student was defiled by her classroom teacher, Michael Bakaki, and a case of defilement was registered at Bukanga police station under CRB: 05/07/02/22. He was, however, released a day later without informing us on the progress of the investigations," he says.

Another parent who preferred anonymity says that her four-year-old daughter is nursing wounds after being defiled by a 20-year-old man. The parent says that the suspect was released before alerting her on the progress of investigations.

"My four-year-old daughter sustained severe injuries after being defiled and a case of aggravated robbery was registered at Luuka central police station under CRB: 23/06/02/22, but when I tried to make a follow up on the case, the detectives told me that the suspect had been released without imploring the court procedures," she says.

Byabasaija says that seven files of defilement-related cases were closed in less than a month, without seeking the state attorney's perusal and advice, an act she says is deliberately orchestrated by a clique of police officers to frustrate efforts of delivering justice to defilement victims.

Byabasaija adds that she has instituted a special task force to investigate police officers, who are frustrating the progress of criminal cases, without exploring the rightful prosecution procedures.